At 25, Lauren Alaina Thrives in Competition

Imagine all the grains of sand on all the beaches in the world. Add to that all the leaves on all the trees. And, finally, toss in all the times you’ve been interrupted by a robocall just as you were about to consummate another deliciously empty relationship. Total these things together and the amount you come up with will still be dwarfed by the number of talent contests Lauren Alaina has won.

OK, maybe we’re stretching things a bit, but Alaina — who turns 25 today (Nov. 8) — has been wowing judges and audiences since the age of 8, when the Roswell, Georgia, native copped first prize at the Southern Stars Pageant.

There followed wins at Chattanooga’s River Festival on both the children’s and adult stages over a period of three years, the American Model and Talent Competition, the WinniSTAR Youth Talent Contest and culminated with her runner-up win on American Idol in 2011. More recently we’ve marveled at her triumphant twirling on Dancing With the Stars.

Since moving into the country recording orbit, Alaina has demonstrated that her talents go well beyond singing. She co-wrote her first and only solo No. 1 hit, “Road Less Traveled,” with superstar songwriters Meghan Trainor and Jesse Frasure. When the song was developed into a movie of the same title in 2017, she won the starring role. She’s also spoken of her interest in doing live theater — on Broadway, of course.

Alaina scored again in 2017 when “What Ifs,” her duet with school chum Kane Brown, topped both Billboard country singles charts.

While exploring new talent venues, she’s been steadily building her concert presence as a supporting act for such hard-ticket heavyweights as Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Sugarland, Cole Swindell, Luke Combs and Blake Shelton. But the big news is that she will finally headline her own concert circuit — That Girl Was Me Tour — next year. Win a few, and then win a few more.

Her current single, “Getting Good,” looks over a life that’s always anticipating, but never achieving, emotional satisfaction. It started its journey up the charts four weeks ago.